


The 505

by theunnamedprince



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Breaking The 4th Wall, Dream Smp, Emotional Baggage, Inspired by Music, Multi, References to Arctic Monkeys, References to Depression, References to Drugs, Rejection, Slow Burn, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, Unresolved Emotional Tension, You Have Been Warned, angst & fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:23:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28702122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theunnamedprince/pseuds/theunnamedprince
Summary: Dream the leader. Dream the one who holds the answer to everyone's questions. Dream who is mature and brave and bold. But that's not entirely true, is it? One fatal, unanswered question broke him enough to lead him down a rabbit hole of hurt, emotional turmoil, a broken heart, and an even more broken mind. Florida County Road 505 has never seen more pain till now.Inspired by 505 by Arctic Monkeys.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound/Darryl Noveschosch/Sapnap, Dream/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	1. The Question.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Dream SMP fanfiction so please be kind! I got this idea while listening to 505 by Arctic Monkeys. As a heads up, there is a reason why I haven't specified per se what kind of ship is going to be the focus of this fanfic and that's for a reason. I want people to keep reading and be shocked when they find out :) Enjoy!

Clay could feel the painfully cold feeling of dread wash over him like a tidal wave. Sometimes the weight of being a content creator could be forgotten, but in moments like these was when it was a shocking reminder of what a burden it could be. His cellphone screen continued to flicker as he continued going in and out of apps, scrolling through the countless posts, messages, and @ mentions, all either accusing him of cheating in his recent speedrun submission or defending him. It was ridiculous really and their evidence was shockingly very very wrong. He thought they would be much more professional than this. Eventually, he couldn’t take it anymore. He quickly set his phone on ‘Do Not Disturb’ and put it face down on his desk to avoid tweeting something out of anger. He knew better. “Nothing good comes out of anger” his Dad used to say. Good advice from a hypocrite. 

Without the light from his phone, all that shone in his darkroom was the Sleeping screen on his desktop. What a life he lived. As passionate as he was about what he did, sometimes it was exhausting. And accusation after scandal after accusation was enough to make him want to simply run away from the world and just be in peace without having to worry about family, or bills, or just anybody for that matter. When could he just have time to himself without compromising himself or others' plans? Just as he was beginning to sit up to go and get something to drink to calm himself when his phone began to ring. And that could only be one of like a handful of people on his bypass list. Lo and behold, it was the one and only GeorgeNotFound, or as his caller I.D. read “Goggie (bf #1)”. That last bit was there from a while ago when both George and he had changed everyone's contact info in their phones to whatever the other said. Sapnap happened to be “bf #2” as he decreed it.

“Yo,” Clay answered, making his way to the kitchen as originally planned.

“Hey, I just wanted to call in and check on you… I’m sure you’ve seen Twitter,” George said, his voice being as soft and gentle as ever. Or as it was when referencing Dream himself.

“It's all bullshit. I genuinely can't help but get agitated. Someone who can do basic math can tell their data is off! What the fuck do they get out of accusing me of cheating? I didn’t cheat!” Dream insisted, slamming the mug he had pulled out of his cabinet on his kitchen counter.

You could hear George shuffle and move around on the line before he let out a soft sigh.

“We know you didn’t cheat. There would be no point in you cheating, and yes the numbers are off. But sometimes people are sheep in the confusion, they just follow the crowd. For the most part, most people already know you didn’t cheat. Everything will blow over soon enough.” 

Dream had already begun to pull out a hidden bottle of whiskey one of his old friends gave him when he first moved into the house. He had never opened it, but for a 21-year-old in a high-stress situation, this seemed like a reasonable move. It beat running to the store for it anyway. He poured himself some in the mug. He had fancy cups sure but that was too far away to grab and he didn’t want to bother. He took a sip before responding to George.

“I know… It really isn’t a big deal but I hate being undermined. I gain nothing from cheating. It's stupid. I’m no saint but I’m not a fucking idiot,” He huffed before taking a larger sip and cringing. The taste of alcohol burning your throat isn’t one that's easily adapted to. “I’m going to submit my game files that prove I didn’t use mods soon. I just wish this was better handled.” 

“Well, I think you’re handling it great!” 

“I’m in the same clothes as three days ago and I'm drinking whiskey from a mug, but yeah I'm handling it great,”

“Clay, anyone else would’ve gone on Twitter and absolutely destroyed them. Anyone would’ve gotten angry and just lost it, but no matter what unconventional coping mechanisms you’re using, at least you’re setting an example to others on how to handle things maturely and calmly. You’re being a role model,”

Dream had leaned against his kitchen counter and the call went silent. He only stared in the cup as he swirled around the whiskey inside. George had a point, but he couldn’t help but get agitated still. It was custom for him to bottle things up and just sort it out on his own before he did the “mature” thing. He just knew that the mature thing was his only option. The internet is a ruthless place. One wrong move and you’ve ruined yourself for good. No bouncing back.

“Clay?” George spoke up, causing him to realize how long the call had gone silent for.

“Thank you, George. What would I ever do without you?” 

George chuckled, you could almost see his smile on the other side of the line. 

“I would like to think you would be nowhere without me,” he said with laughter,

Clay couldn’t help but laugh along, something about George was contagious. George was right, without him he would be nowhere. 

“Continue to take pride in that, Goggy. I should probably head to bed now though,”

“What? It's still early though, can you wait a couple of hours for me? I would hate for our sleep schedules to get out of sync,” 

The tone of worry in George's voice was enough to guilt-trip anyone into anything. 

“I’ll wait up then, don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to you later,” Clay assured him.

“Good. I’ll talk to you later, Dream,”

With that, the line went dead. Clay put the phone down on his kitchen counter and took a good drink out of his whiskey, almost regretting it right after because Jesus christ he forgot that was alcohol. But the warm feeling that came after was just what he was looking for. It's liquid George in a bottle. Minus the self-control.

The next morning, Clay felt much much better. Despite the raging hangover from the extra cups of whiskey he went through while aimlessly walking around his house waiting for George to be tired and go to bed, he actually felt a bit more light-hearted about everything. He had the evidence he needed to prove he didn’t cheat. It wasn’t a big deal, he wasn’t over with just yet. As much as he loved speedrunning, he knew what he knew and so did his friends and that's all that mattered. 

As he got onto his pc and opened Discord, he noticed Tommy, Quackity, Wilbur, Sapnap, and Goggy all in a discord chat together. He opened up minecraft and decided to join his friends in whatever they were doing. 

“Who just joined? Oh! Dream! How's your morning going?” Wilbur said as Discord notified them all that someone new had joined the call.

“It's going ok. Are any of you guys streaming?” Clay asked.

“Oh, no, we’re just messing around on a parkour course. Wanna join us?” Quackity spoke up,

“Yeah sure, just give me a moment to join in and drink some headache medicine for this massive fucking hangover,” 

“Ah one of those nights, aye?” Wilbur said before benign cut off by Tommy who, per usual, proceeded to scream at the top of his lungs.

“I ALMOST MADE IT! I WAS ALMOST THERE! GOD DAMN IT! QUACKITY STOP- QUACKITY NO! YOU SUCK AT PARKOUR YOU KEEP PUSHING ME OFF STOP!” Tommy screamed.

“DON’T YELL AT ME YOU FUCKING CHILD, I AM GOOD AT PARKOUR WATCH!” Quackity yelled back.

Tommy let out another scream, which was a good indicator without being there that Quackity did something else to him.

“YOU DID IT AGAIN YOU MOTHER FUCKER” yelled out Tommy once more.

Everyone couldn’t help but laugh at their constant bickering. Dream finally logged on to the same parkour course they were on and joined them in their shenanigans. They began to discuss the cheating accusations and how absolutely ridiculous it was. They jumped from topic to topic as they usually would, continued to piss off Tommy, and more. Discord then suddenly alerted them that one more person had joined the call.

“Yoo, Sapnap!” George greeted.

“Hey George, hello everyone. What are you guys doing?” 

“Minecraft Parkour,” Clay answered.

“Oh cool cool, I’ll join you guys once I get home, I'm driving at the moment,” Sapnap said. With that fact, you could suddenly hear the wind in the background of the call.

Dream had been checking his Snapchat when he accidentally went onto the snapmaps. Sapnaps little bitmoji could be seen jumping from one place to another at alarmingly high speeds.

“Jesus fucking Christ Sapnap, how fast are you going? The highway isn’t the Indie 500,” he commented, hearing everyone snicker and laugh.

“Leave me alone, “Mr. I speed cause it's fun”,” Sapnap scoffed.

“Look buddy, I live in Florida. The amount of empty highways here is incredible,” he responded.

They all continued to enjoy themselves. Eventually, Sapnap got to his house (after slowing down because he almost got pulled over) and joined the rest of them. After getting bored of the parkour they moved over to the SMP. Tommy and Quackity decided to stream their shenanigans on the SMP, all of it not canon of course. After everyone relentlessly flirted with each other, the topic of love came up. 

“I haven’t dated anyone in so long, to be honest,” Wilbur said as he helped Tommy make another cobblestone tower.

“That's not necessarily a bad thing,” George said.

“Yeah I mean, I don’t think any of us have,” Dream added on.

“You all are piss babies, I am so much superior, Women love me,” Tommy bragged before hitting Wilbur off the tower for fun. 

“Hush child, let the adults talk,” Quackity said before hitting Tommy off the tower.

“Serious question, what do you guys think about love? Like- I mean love is love but everyone has such different outlooks on it there is not way it has just one definition,” Sapnap suddenly spoke.

The call fell silent for a minute before Quackity interrupted the silence.

“Suddenly Sapnap is a philosopher everybody,” Quackity chuckled.

Everyone laughed a bit at Quackity, some even silently thanking him for saving the day. 

“Well I personally think love is having trust and endearment for someone,” George spoke up, “i suppose it is different for everyone but I know I love someone when they have my full trust,”

“Yeah, love for me is pretty similar,” Wilbur added in.

They all kind of tossed in their own definitions of love in the mix, but Dream couldn’t help but hold back. He couldn't help but think back at his old relationship and shift uncomfortably in his seat. To be quite honest, he wasn’t sure if he was over it yet. It would always linger in the back of his head. Another emotional turmoil he wasn’t ready to dive into. 

“What about you Dream?” George asked, a hopeful tonality lingering in his voice.

“Oh.. Uh. I’m not sure? I mean, I love you guys. A lot. I’m just not sure how to describe that. Or what love is per say in a romantic way? I don’t know I’m not sure how to explain that to you guys. Like I know I love you guys but I’m not sure how to be clear about that,” Dream struggled with his words, trying to put his words together to make coherent sentences but that clearly failed. 

“Oh uh, you don’t have to keep trying to explain, we know you love us. Don’t worry about it,” Sapnap spoke up, stopping Dream's mindless blabber, which he was thankful for considering he wouldn’t know when to stop.

But that one conversation was all it took for the tiny seed of doubt to be instilled in his already mushy, sensitive brain. Because all strong men fall, and not everything is the same on the outside then the inside. One of Dreams weaknesses wasn’t any one thing, it was his own mind. His number one fatality. 

Eventually, everybody had to log off or go. Streams ended, goodbyes were said, and everybody parted ways. Dream took off his headset and leaned back in his seat, rubbing and closing his eyes. He could feel small feet hop onto his lap and a small being curl up on them. He looked down with a small smile to be greeted by Patches, who normally waited by his feet until she could jump up. Dream couldn’t help but lift her in his arms and give her a sweet kiss on the head. 

“I know what love is, its you Patches,” he smiled at her with endearment, his lifetime companion would be his cat and he was ok with that.

Patches gave him a meow which only increased how many more kisses Dream wound up giving her. 

“Oh who am I kidding, love is a question better left unanswered, isn’t that right?” he asked his cat.

Patches, who had simply enjoyed all the attention she was getting gave Dream the doe eyes and one nice meow. Dream took that as a very cute answer to his question, which was “yes”, but Patches really just wanted another kiss and maybe some food. Which Dream eventually caught on to when she eventually grew restless and jumped off his lap to loudly meow at his room door to be let out because she was hungry. 

“You know Patches, I don’t get it. Love this, love that. I love my friends, I love my Mom, and my sisters, and I also love you, so I don’t think its much of a problem that I can’t explain what love is, right? Sure its maybe a little odd that I can’t but its still normal!” 

He opened a can of cat food and dumped it into Patches bowl and then set it back down on the ground. She dove in to eat, but her ears showed she was still listening, and as dumb as it was this pushed Dream to keep talking. 

“I think maybe when I was younger I had a clearer definition of what love is. Now i'm not sure that I have one but.. It would be nice if i did. Maybe I could answer Sapnaps question, ya know?” 

Patches continued to eat her food. Dream already put together in his mind that he was being very much foolish by talking with his cat. His answers weren’t going to be answered this way. But unanswered questions would also be the bane of his existence along with liars and hypocrites. Dream reached for his phone and sat in his kitchen for a bit as a distraction. He went back into Twitter and tried to ignore how many tweets he's been getting about the cheating topic. He would show them, he just needed self-control. Eventually, he saw a few of his friends' tweets, one of which being Sapnaps tweet from before he joined the discord call. 

_ ‘I’m not saying you should go on a long drive- but I am saying maybe you should,’ _

In response to Sapnaps tweet, Tommy was on his shit again.

_ ‘Everyone don't listen to him, he likes speeding that's illegal’ _

Of course, this encouraged Dream to actually follow Sapnaps tweet. He already liked speeding down random Florida roads, but it hadn’t been a thought considering his busy schedule. Across the counter on a key rack jingled his car keys, almost tempting him like a sign from God that he was meant to go get his answers on the road. What answer? No fucking clue but somehow it would make him feel better. 

With one fail swoop, his keys were off the rack and the last sound he heard was a faint meow from Patches who had finished her food at last.

  
  



	2. Florida County Road 505

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream thinks a drive will help. Wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this chapter! I have realized my writing may be a bit over-descriptive... I'm always open to writing tips! Let me know if you have any!

Driving down any Florida road with the window down was a game of chance 100% of the time. It was like playing Russian roulette with scents. Would you smell a muggy swamp, the sour citrus smell of an orange grove, the pleasing smell of eucalyptus, or car oil? Who knew! But Dream paid the price anyway so he could in turn simply enjoy the wind on his face. Whatever burdened him left him, gone with the wind, lifting the weight off his chest and heart. He didn’t have to think of any past traumas, any current situations to handle, or have anxiety for the future. It was just him, his car, and the radio. 

At one point, he lost himself in the music. The cool rush of wind against warm skin, the feeling of flightlessness, like no matter how fast anyone else goes they can never catch up. The sunset on the Peninsula, whoever was on I-4 and WASN'T stuck in traffic could enjoy the orange, yellow, and purple setting sun that blessed everybody that evening. Dream embraced the lingering warmth that the sun provided, enjoying the in-between of mugginess and a light breeze that didn’t feel like it would suffocate you at one point, but might later. This freeing feeling was dangerous though, the way he dissociated into his mind put him on autopilot and he didn’t realize at all that he had driven almost an hour out from his house. Not only that but that he needed Gas and was now growing hungry.

If it weren’t for the usual big city traffic and train of police that drove by to get to a car accident he would have never slowed down enough to realize. He pulled off the highway at the nearest exit but the only thing he found that didn’t have a line as long as his following count was Publix, and honestly, he was ok with that. A Publix sub and jump skip and run to a Gas Station later he was back on the road. He figured if he kept driving he would eventually get on his way back home, but now this time he was thinking much more about what he came out to find answers for. The liberating feeling slowly escaped him, but the food he ate soothed him in such a way he could finally think clearly. 

What was he speeding from? What was he truly running from? Daddy Issues? Failed relationships that left him broken that he just chose to ignore? The fact no matter what he does and is good at he wouldn’t get everybody's validation from it which would produce situations like the one he was in now? The “What is love” question? He always found the worst things to ignore until it welled up and exploded in his head like a rainbow of lava all mixing together and turning into a murky mix he would then have to decipher. He knew this was his flaw, but successfully NOT ignoring his thoughts, trauma, and feelings never truly worked out in his favor. He just knew eventually he would have to deal with it and find a way to cope. He hated how the littlest things could pull the tab and make his brain explode. 

The night consumed him as he continued to drive down I-4. What was he really doing out here speeding and risking a car accident, or worse, a ticket. Was he running or confronting? He could only hope and pray that the universe would give him an answer. All he knew was the Publix sub, chips, and soda he got wasn’t going to, but as long as it was filling that was fine. His phone buzzed with notifications from probably his friends, he had told them at the gas station he couldn’t chat with them any longer than they already had, that he was on some important quest. And then Sapnap snitched and said “is this important quest speeding down the interstate at an alarming 85mph” and since then his phone hasn’t stopped buzzing. They would just have to wait.

As the night grew darker a sudden fog grew over the interstate and then Dream realized he was the only one left. Which was odd honestly because it was I-4 and it was only 6:30pm, which meant more cars on the road. Yet there was no one. This gave Dream an eerie feeling very quickly. He felt like he had traveled onto a deserted wasteland with nowhere to go. There was no exit for miles, and the more mile markers he passed the more unsettled he became. And finally, there it was, “Exit 45 for Florida County Road 505”, his saving grace. He immediately took the exit, hoping to find some civilization to comfort him from the empty alone feeling he had just gotten. He liked being alone, but for some reason, this seemed like the chilling alone feeling you would get when you realize no one is going to come to save you.

But taking the exit didn’t help at all. The chilling feeling grew as he drove down the two-lane road, just miles and miles of pine trees and forest. There weren’t even any lights and the fog only grew thicker and thicker. In the distance, Dream spotted something through the fog, the glow of a light post that only filled him with hope that he hadn’t been abandoned by God or something. He even began to speed up, hoping to catch up with the glow, but that sweet relief of salvation never came. No matter how fast he went, he could never catch it which filled him with a wave of terrifying anger. 

“God fucking damn it.. God, why do I do this to myself? I just want fucking answers! And if I can’t get any, how about a normal fucking life where I don’t have to put up with mystery fog and this bullshit?!” Dream practically screamed, begging that whatever God heard him just answered his plea for help. 

Because thats what they were, pleas be saved from the conflict within him. Dream finally reached for his phone to hopefully find on his map where the flying fuck he was, but his phone refused to turn on. Then the panic set in. He was surrounded by fog, on a state road he had never heard of, in the dark, with no cellphone. This was the beginning of a horror movie. 

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck,” he muttered to himself, trying to find his phone charger in hopes that maybe his phone was just dead. 

He took his eyes off the road, plugging in his charger frantically. It wouldn’t light up to even show it was charging. The panic of his phone not charging and the fear in his body paralyzed him. He looked back up and around him, his car accelerating without even having to press the gas pedal. Dream grabbed the steering wheel for dear life when suddenly, his phone dinged. He looked down at it not to see his wallpaper, but a person he had never seen before.They were looking down right at him, like they were holding him and watching him, but their eyes were vacant and attentive to something else. He was paralyzed, he couldn’t bring his eyes off his phone. What was happening? Was he going to die? Was this a dream? Was he at home in bed simply having a nightmare?

The glow of light from before suddenly grew bright as fuck, almost blinding him completely. He turned his head back to the road which he now couldn't see in the slightest. Then a sudden truck horn blaring at him. Dream grabbed the steering wheel and turned it as fast as possible, escaping his paralysis in hopes of saving himself. And then everything went black.

Dream woke up in his car. He sat up immediately, looking around him wildly. How long was he asleep? Was that all a nightmare? He looked around him and realized he was at a rest stop. He shakily got out of his car, examining his surroundings and being very grateful he could finally see what was around him. The previous feeling of abandonment, like a burden too heavy to carry, was long gone. But an empty void now lay in his chest from the lack of such a strong emotion that filled him. A sudden thought sprung into his head and he dove back into his car. 

_ His phone. _

The moment he touched it, it awoke from its slumber, gladly showing him his home screen and all the notifications he had missed. The person he had seen before was now gone. He quickly turned it on and clicked his messages. Messages from all his friends last read “Yesterday”. What day was it? A quick swipe showed him it was the next day and it was 10 am. How the fuck… Where was he? Another quick swipe and tap revealed that on Google Maps, he was at a rest stop off of County Road 505. 

He searched his head for answers. He had gotten off at this exit because of the fog… The ghost of the feeling from before haunted him as he recalled last night's events. Was he going crazy? What the fuck was that? It felt very much real but so otherworldly that it couldn’t have been. Dream needed to talk to someone. He needed to hear someone's voice, anybody who could just tell him that he was real and very much alive. And of course, he called the person at the top of his messages.

“Dream! Hey, I asked you last night to text me when you got home but you never did. Did you just crash and die somewhere?” Sapnap said when he answered the phone.

Dream let out a shaky sigh of relief, happy to hear his best friend's voice.

“Honestly, at this point, I wouldn’t be surprised. I'm sorry for not messaging you back,” Dream said, running his hands through his hair

“You ok? You sound shaken up. Are you… hungover? Drunk? You good?”

There was silence as Dream didn’t know how to respond. Would he tell Sapnap what happened and what he experienced or chalk it up to some hallucination he had or a nightmare?

“I’m fine. I just don’t remember pulling into a rest stop and falling asleep in the middle of nowhere,”

“Holy shit dude, were you drinking and driving? How far from home are you?! That's some dumb shit, even for you,” Sapnap practically yelled into Dreams ear.

He pulled his phone away from his face as Sapnap continued lecturing him about drinking and driving.

“Look dude, i don’t know what you’re going through with all this cheating bullshit but you don’t EVER drink and drive, understood?”

“Understood. No drinking and driving.” Dream affirmed, just going with it because he didn’t know how to explain to Sapnap he hadn’t touched a drop.

“Good. Now get your ass back home, and this time CALL ME WHEN YOU DO!” Sapnap screamed before hanging up the phone.

Dream looked at his phone and stared at his home screen. What the fuck. Dream got back into his car and simply shut the door. As much sleep as it seemed he had gotten, his body began to feel tired. If he knew what interdimensional space travel felt like, it would be this. He started up his car again, which was still good on gas surprisingly, put on Google Maps, and just went home. No stops for breakfast, no waiting backroads, no gas stops, just straight home. The whole ride home was a blur, and not due to some trippy fuck shit, but due to the fact Dream couldn’t and wouldn’t wrap his head around what the fuck just happened. 

The moment he got home he pulled his phone out and texted Sapnap.

_ I’m home _

**Dream 12:06pm**

_ I told you to call me nimrod. How long did it take you to get home? _

**Sapnap (bf #2) 12:07pm**

_ Uh. Can’t count. So tired. Left when u hung up. Goodnight. _

**Dream 12:07pm**

_ Wait what? Didn’t you just wake up? How hungover are you?  _

**Sapnap (bf #2) 12:07pm**

_ Dream? _

**Sapnap (bf #2) 12:09pm**

**[Message Delivered]**

Dream didn’t bother answering Sapnap. This very tiring feeling flooded him like he hadn’t slept in years. He unlocked the door slowly, trying to remain conscious as he walked through the door. He could hear loud meowing in the distance. It was Patches at his feet, meowing loudly and probably hungry. But he could barely comprehend that. All he could think about was his bed and how badly he wanted to be in it. The last thing his brain could grasp was the Minecraft poster near his PC that Wilbur got him as a gag gift.

“Heh heh… Minecraft…” he muttered before falling into a deep unconscious.

Dream once again woke up about 6 hours later. But when he woke up his mind felt clear, his heart felt light, and he finally felt well-rested. He could have almost forgotten the night before but it was very fucking traumatizing. All he could remember was pulling away from the path of a speeding semi-truck that almost hit him. But that was the least of his worries as Patches, who was pretty upset, meows loudly at him from his room door, demanding he feed her.

“I'm so sorry Patches, you must be starving, lets go get you something to eat,” he apologized.

As he walked to the kitchen he quickly realized how hungry he was too. As he prepared her food, an odd unsettling feeling came over him. He felt… Watched. But from nowhere around him. The hairs on his back stood up as a chilling feeling washed over him. Someone was watching him. Something was watching him. 

**You...** Were watching him.


	3. The Zone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dreams anxiety is put at ease with another call to the universe before bed.

It had been almost a week since the incident. After a couple of days, Dream couldn’t tell if he had dreamed or hallucinated that night. He had nightmares about it too sometimes. Random flashes, from the fog, settling into the terrifying feeling of abandonment, right up to the person on his phone and then the truck. He would wake up in a cold sweat, the lingering anxiety clashing with the new sense of paranoia that had now begun to fill him every waking moment of the day. That night scared him more than his own mind. Those especially close to him would know that Dreams's greatest fear was himself, runner up being his father. But with what he had experienced it was not above him and his trauma.

“Tommy, throw your weapons in the hole,” Dream said casually, digging a hole in front of him.

“Wait, why?” Tommy questioned suspiciously “I just got all of this…”

“Just do it, Tommy,”

“But-”

“Can you stop hesitating and just throw your weapons in?” Dream snapped.

Without another question, Tommy was throwing in his armor into the hole. 

“Now all of your weapons. In fact, empty your whole inventory,” Dream now demanded.

He held a block of TNT in his hands, waiting for the moment where Tommy no longer had anything and he could tear it away from him. Once he was sure of it, he dropped several blocks of TNT into the whole, lit them, and stepped away. Tommy began to yell, not entirely expecting all of his things that he had worked so hard for to simply be torn away. Dream held back a grin and a laugh. After reassuring Tommy it would be ok and that all he had to do was start over, he said his goodbyes and went off through the Nether Portal. 

After a quick mute, he let out a loud groan. He separated himself from the character, he was not standing in the nether now. He was Clay, and he was sitting in a gaming chair behind two monitors, one of which displayed the game he played with his friends. He felt like an actor sometimes, trying to get himself into character and then losing himself in it to only then be forced back into his reality. In this reality, sadly, he wasn’t God. 

Dream went back to L’manburg and then logged out of the SMP and closed out the game. He then turned his attention to a Speedrun video he was editing that probably would never be released. At this point, he couldn’t publish it, not with all the accusations flying around. Logically in that big smart brain of his, he knew the algorithm wouldn’t like it too much if his video got a ton of dislikes, especially considering half of the internet disliked him at the moment. Emotionally, he just wanted to post it and ignore everything and hope for the best. Maybe never address it and just spite everyone who thought it would stop him. Sadly, the fact of the matter was, as lazy and ignorant as he wanted to be, for the sake of his career, it HAD to be addressed. 

Sadly, he minimized the window with his video in it and opened up Youtube instead. He was met with so many videos with his name and character on it. Most of them being new analysis of his speedrun. With a quick search, he found the original and hit play. He pulled a pen and paper out wearily and simply began to take notes on the points they were making. At the very least it made him laugh. At least something did now. The more he watched, noted, replayed, and analyzed, the more light-hearted the situation became. Half of the stuff they brought up was ridiculous, he just needed to prove it false. But that would take a hell of a lot of math and a solid few weeks to successfully peace together and be addressable to the public. 

He spent the next few hours noting and sharing his findings with Sapnap and George over Discord. 

_ Wow. How long have u been working on this again? _

**GeorgeNotFound 11:50 PM**

_ A few hours. I think I started right after I left Tommys stream. Hopefully, I can work this out in time. _

**Dream 11:50PM**

_ I would’ve assumed this was done over a week. You’re so smart :) _

**GeorgeNotFound 11:51PM**

_ At least you’re doing something with your time other than drinking. _

**Sapnap 11:52PM**

_ What? _

**GeorgeNotFound 11:53PM**

_ I literally wasn’t drunk. _

**Dream 11:54PM**

_ You sounded like it.  _

**Sapnap 11:55PM**

_ I wasn’t tho _

**Dream 11:55PM**

_ Wait what happened? _

**GeorgeNotFound 11:56PM**

_ Dream called me drunk last week from some random rest stop he doesn’t remember getting to. _

**Sapnap 11:58PM**

_ I wasn’t drunk. That I know. Can we please not talk about it. _

**Dream 11:59PM**

_ Did something happen that you don’t want to talk about? _

**GeorgeNotFound 12:00AM**

_ You wouldn’t believe me. I don’t feel comfortable talking about it. _

**Dream 12:02AM**

_ Admitting to your mistakes is fine you know.. Im not shitting on you for it im just saying, you could’ve been put in danger. _

**Sapnap 12:05AM**

_ If he doesn’t want to talk about it he doesn’t have to. If he said he wasn’t drinking then he wasn’t. _

**GeorgeNotFound 12:07AM**

_ Call me _

**Sapnap 12:09AM**

Dream set his phone down as that last text came in. Sapnap had been insistent on telling him not to drink and drive and even calling him daily to make sure he didn’t need to talk. Every one of those phone calls increased the anxiety that grew in his body. Distractions like the SMP, Patches, and his friends helped tremendously. He wouldn’t even have to acknowledge his feelings until later. He hadn’t bothered in telling Sapnap either about what happened. He usually confided in his friends greatly, especially to George who had him on Emergency Bypass so his calls always went through. But a little voice in him told him not to trust them with what he knew and what he saw. The little demon of Paranoia ran rampant in his head. He analyzed it from above, watching it frantically run around toss things around till it fell almost dead, and then come back to run around again. 

Dream went into his kitchen and drank a couple of glasses of water to cool down how hot he was getting suddenly. He stood in front of the kitchen window refilling his third glass when he saw it. Someone was watching him. He could almost see the silhouette outside of the window, it was faint but there. He flung open the window but the moment he did, it was gone. That was most definitely someone. Someone was watching him, someone was there. Perhaps they predicted every move he made, watched him, and read into him so much that they just knew him like the back of their hand. 

Of course, that was only what it felt like.

Perhaps he was just going crazy. Maybe if he was just going crazy, it would explain why he felt like every move of his was predicted. Why he was so uptight and intense when he wasn’t hyperfocused on a sound or a voice or a person or a project. He wished he could worry about something else. He was tired of his existence feeling like a well thought out plan but a God who kept erasing and recreating his very existence in their mind. Dream closed the window and retreated back to his room. He just wanted to know what was wrong with him at that rate. 

In swift steps he closed the bedroom door and went straight to his bed, ignoring the open Discord and ready to be worked on, project, and simply tossing himself into it. Patches was curled up on his pillow, and happily moved over as it meant she could now snuggle into his chest when he finally got comfortable. Per usual it wasn’t that simple and it took several tosses and turns before Patches got upset and simply laid down on his chest to force him to stop moving. 

Dreams heavy eyes stared right at his ceiling, refusing to shut and relax. Sleep couldn’t even ease him from his reality. Simply being able to exist in his realm would be a blessing now. He couldn’t even fathom what he did to deserve this restless anxiety that he could never speak about. 

“God.. Buddha, _Herobrine_ for all I care. Can I just get a solution here? I just want to go to sleep… I just want to sleep… And have answers…” he whispered tiredly, hoping that whatever higher power could hear him. 

As if they had finally answered, an uneasy peace filled him and his weary eyes finally gave way. 

And with that, he had fallen asleep.

He half expected this dream to start off with his car like it usually did. But instead, everything remained pitch black. God had really answered his prayers and added in the extra service of not letting him dream huh. It was odd how self conscious he was about it though... As if he were almost... 

_ Awake. _

Dream opened his eyes, but it was still pitch black. He could feel himself blinking, touching himself on the arms, then torso, then legs, all to see if this was real. Ok so God could give him no dreams from the subconscious but suddenly thought gracing him with lucid dreaming was any better. 

_ Funny.  _

He decided to look around this black abyss his mind had decided to create, but this decision made him regret it quickly. 

There, in front of him, sat the person from his phone. The one who had seen right through him but somehow identified him with his eyes. The way their eyes flickered with excitement as they read what was before them. What the fuck were they doing in his dream?

What are **_you_ **doing in his dream?

“Hello…?” Dream called out, attempting to get your attention.

**_You don’t look up. You can’t hear him just yet. That voice is just a voice in your imagination._ **

“Hello?” He calls out again, now trying to move his legs forward.

**_You hear it clearer, louder, this voice isn’t in your head. You’re not reading the words anymore, they are being spoken to you now. You are finally able to move your own body to look up and see him there before you, in this dark realm you have created in your mind._ **

The both of you think, is this real? He is completely unaware of the situation, or as to why you have this completely stunned look on your face as if you’ve seen a ghost. Glancing down at what you hold in your hands, you force yourself to realize you’ve gone too far. Your own wishes have now gone into play. The place you run off to construct these worlds in your mind whenever you read, listen to music, even painting and creating, have now blended with his world. 

**_A fictional world._ **

You both stare at each other blankly now. What is this? What is one to do?

“Uhm… I’m pretty sure you can see me. Like.. 70% sure….” he began to speak. 

**_You are unable to respond._ **

Once more, he repeats his original question.

“Hello?”

**And you finally respond.**

_ “Hi.” _


	4. Your Conciousness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Narrator becomes the comedic relief and you and Dream lose your marbles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Im finally back! This is a pretty short chapter compared to the rest, but a longer chapter should be coming soon! Thank you so much for the kudos! 
> 
> Also if this chapter seems confusing, good. Its not supposed to make sense and your mind is supposed to break trying to figure it out.

The silence was almost deafening and the tension in the void was almost suffocating. Despite the fact that he did in fact, ask, Dream was stunned that you responded. Now neither of you knew what to do or say. An anxious feeling fell down on you as you realized it had been at least 5 minutes and all he had done was stare. What were you gonna say? Do you act stupid and hope for the best? Before you could even open your mouth, Dream had finally taken another step forward.

“So like.. Am I dreaming?” He curiously asked, developing enough confidence to finally look around him. 

“Uhm.. No? I mean I haven’t gone to sleep yet I was just… Reading. But I know you’re sleeping,” You respond, setting the object in your hands down at your side.

“How do you know that? Are you God or something?” He asked tensely, clearly, a bit stressed at this unknown situation.

You can’t help but laugh at him. Considering last time you looked in the mirror you didn’t have 18 eyes and didn’t have a Voicemail machine containing every prayer over the last 4,000 years, you were pretty sure you weren’t God. For someone as smart as Dream, it was very naive for him to think God had eye bags.

“I’m so sorry for laughing, but I am most definitely not the Big Man upstairs. I’m just a normal person like you. I just read it in this story,” You held up what you had been reading before he rudely interrupted you with his accidental shifting technique.

You held it out for him to grab. Was this a wise idea? Would it be the beginning to a time paradox because he’ll just be reading about himself reading about himself? Would you have to explain that you kept reading because of the wording and actually, now that you think about it, where the fuck did you find this story and why isn’t it tripping you out? Don’t know.

Anyways.

Dream snatched it out of your hands with eagerness, his hunger to absorb information kicking in as he flipped to the very beginning. You couldn’t help but try to look over him to see what he was doing to it. He read urgently, completely absorbed in the material. You sat there awkwardly and it got worse when he backed up and sat on the edge of your bed without breaking contact with what he read. Maybe now it was time for you to have your own existential crisis. Like how the fuck did you both get here and where did your room go? Were you both really just trapped in your consciousness? 

“Wait wheres the rest of the story?” Dream suddenly said aloud, looking up at you in confusion.

You give him an odd look and snatch back the story and immediately seeing what he meant. The story ended right when he fell asleep, which you had just gotten to before he randomly appeared into your consciousness. The rest of the pages were blank.

“Maybe it stopped because we’re both here so there's nothing left to write,” You suggested.

“And why the fuck would this be the end of the story? I have a life to get back to! Am I dead? Who’s gonna take care of Patches? What about George and Nick? What about-” 

“I would recommend you stop panicking,” You say calmly, or so it seems.

“Why?! Do you know what's happening?!” he says exasperatingly 

“No!! Which is why I need you to STOP panicking cause I’m panicking!! And if we’re both panicking then we both might as well be dead!!” You yell, waving your arms in the air frantically

Dream lets out a loud “UGH” and throws himself back onto your mattress. Just as you’re going to say something, you notice little words appearing on the empty pages of the story. 

> _**“Both of you are obnoxious. You’re not dead. Sleep to go home. Stop annoying each other.”**_

You just stare.

_**Yo Narrorator what the fuck?** _

Dream notices you’re not paying attention to him so like the Leo he is he insists on finding out why. And then he sees the words too.

“What kind of sick joke is this,” he whispers.

You shrug. 

“I may be reading this willingly but the sooner you leave me alone the better,” you say to him.

“I- that's valid I guess. Fine. But I might as well ask, why are you reading a story about me?” 

Your face goes red. 

To be fair, you’re the one that read the the tags on this story and decided to roll with it. So will you confess that you logged onto a fanfiction site and sat down to read a story of him hoping it would be all cute and romantic only to find out he's sentient? 

_**Absolutely not, thats embarrassing.** _

“I was bored. Now go back to your reality, I'm gonna pretend like this never happened and just keep reading…”

Dream goes to say something but decides against it. He gets off your bed and walks back towards the part of the void he came from. His bed is still there. He sits on it and glances back at you. He can see your bed from where his is. As he lays down his brain goes into hyper mode and tries making sense of everything. This was too real to be lucid dreaming. Was he going crazy? 

Whatever. He hoped to forget in the morning. So he closed his eyes and prayed to wake up forgetting everything over the past week. He then heard a faint meow.

Then the meow got louder.

And then his eyes fluttered open.

He was back in his room. Everything was just like he had left it. Except for Patches, who was now sitting on his chest meowing as loud as possible. But before he could process that Patches was hungry, per usual, he realized that there was something else on his mind first.

_**You.** _


End file.
